The national Tea Party Express II, a conservative protest movement will make a stop Wednesday in Walnut Creek.

It’s the ninth stop of its national bus tour. If you want to participate in the rally or protest the protesters, head on down to Civic Park 1375 Civic Drive at 5:30 p.m.

Be nice to each other. The Walnut Creek police have plenty of riot gear thanks to all those federal anti-terrorism grants. And if you’ve been watching the cable TV stations, you know all about the rowdy back-and-forth between liberal and conservative voices over the validity of the Tea Party movement.

I’ve heard that local Republicans plan to attend the rally dressed in costumes befitting the occasion, such as the “Grim Reaper.”

But one Republican, who shall remain nameless, has decided against dressing up as a hooker under the premise that she had to get a side job to pay her taxes. It’s just as well. She answers to a board of directors. There’s You Tube. It could all go bad.

How appropeiate that the “grassroots” effort would end up in Walnut Creek. WC used to be solid Republican. The likes of Jean Last and Rosemary Thakar would beat/tie George Miller there every other year. Now, it is carried easily by Gore, Kerry and Obama. Why? Because affluent suburban communities like WC believe in equal justice (witness No vote there on Prop 8), protecting the environment, investing in public education and a less jingoistic foreign policy.

Today’s Republicans are so far from this mindset that their chances of winning places like WC seem quite remote. Even today we saw another example. Antonin Scalia said he would have voted AGAINST the Supreme Court majority on the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling in 1954! You heard it right. He would have voted to uphold segregation.

We shouldn’t be too surprised though. This is the same group who nominated a functional illiterate for Vice President last year. God help this country if they regain power.

Elwood

Tom K may be right.

But so what?

Walnut Creek is a back water where the biggest issue is whether to build another upscale store for the rich.

Tom K

The “so what” part about the Walnut Creek observation is that it is, in fact, similar to observations one can make all over the country. Because the Republicans have lost the suburbs, such as WC, they have lost control of the country. Seems to me this qualifies as relevant. Perhaps Elwood thinks otherwise?

John W.

‘Tis true that the GOP has lost ground in the burbs, but the 2010 midterms are not looking great for us Dems.

As for the battle of Nieman Marcus, it makes me laugh that one of the rented citizens carrying the water for Taubman is always writing letters to the editor defending the cause of free enterprise. But he wants to use the machinery of government to stop a deal between a mall owner and a prospective retailer in a part of town he probably hasn’t even visited in the past 10 years.

Elwood

Tom K I don’t suppose you have any documentation for your wild ass assumption “Because the Republicans have lost the suburbs, such as WC, they have lost control of the country.”

If you do, won’t you please share it with us?

Your post is based on supposition. Mine is based on fact.

Tom K

Elwood:

All I can suggest is that you do the math. Look at past voting trends when Republicans were successful and those of the last two elections. The shift that is most noticeable is found in suburbia. In recent decades, the Democrats have always carried the big cities and the Republicans have won the exurbs and rural areas. Yet, net results have shifted dramatically. All that is left to consider, the swing areas if you will, are the suburbs such as Walnut Creek.

One local example is that conservative Republican Richard Pombo represented some Contra Costa suburbs (San Ramon and Danville) in 2004 but they are now represented by pretty liberal Democrat Jerry McNerney. McNerney’s main issue was Pombo’s tone-deafness regarding the environment.

In the furtherence of your admitted need for educating on the issue, I suggest you look at the freshman and sophomore classes of the current Congress. You’ll find that the newer Democrats are frequently from what were longtime Republican SUBURBAN districts.

Of course issues such a relative turnout and margin of victory/loss in each area are also important factors. My point was not that the massive shift in SUBURBAN voting trends is the only issue. That would be absurb. It is probably just the most important issue.

But persuading someone is generally very difficult. Perhaps you can instead offer your explanation for the objectively true statement that Republicans have lost control of the country? Given your assertion that my comments were “wild ass”, I am looking forward to your reasoned, thoughtful and empirically defensible observations. Should be very helpful to all of us. Someone of your evident intellect owes it to your fellow citizens to share your knowledge, no?

Finally, other than calling Walnut Creek a “back water”, what “facts” have you offered in your post? Clearly, I’ve overlooked something.

ken88

With all the goverment spending, the GOP will Harmer, hammer the Dem in 2010. The only people who want higher taxs ,our the ones with there hand out.

lawrence bell

RE: Tea Party Express
Lisa do you really expect the citizens of Walnut Creek to attend the gathering at Civic Park as described in your blog? Come on, your slant is the main reason why your readership of those of Conservative slant have abandoned your paper. I am one of those who left feeling left behind. By the way, the Gallup Poll released this week in a 5000 sampling across the nation asked the question with whom do you identify politically. The answers Conservative 40%, Moderate 35% and Liberal 20%. Look who is not looking at your coverage any longer.

Fact: “Walnut Creek is a back water where the biggest issue is whether to build another upscale store for the rich.” Now the backwater part is arguable depending on your definition. In mine there is no doubt. Would you care to argue the rest of that statement? I think not.

Please see post #9 by Lawrence Bell. But then, what does Gallup know? Perhaps you could explain your insights to the Gallup poll people.

Tom K

Elwood:

Yes, there are much bigger issues in Walnut Creek and everywhere else. The economy, health care, crime, housing values, two wars, etc. If what you meant to say was that the Neiman Marcus fight is the most discussed, current, local issue in Walnut Creek, I would likely agree.

Also, many thanks for your complete non-response to the analysis I provided to your earlier question. Kinda what I expected.

Regarding your last posting, the numbers from Gallup have held along those lines for many years, really since the late 60′s when the term “liberal” became demonized. Not sure what, if anything, it has to do with the earlier discussion. Much like Fox “News”, changing the subject when you have nothing to say is a predictable tactic. But you surely aren’t a Fox viewer now are you?

Elwood

There was an analysis?

Was anyone hurt?

Is the World Series on Fox this year?

Thersa

One only need to read the posts by Tom K and Elwood to see why the right-wing attracts only idiots.

Mike F.

I attended two TEA party events. I saw no violence at either. I also met democrats there, albeit in fewer numbers than republicans. Why does Lisa even mention violence in connection with the “validity” of the events. I attended at my own volition and I saw no “astroturf” inspiration. I guess this is the best the CoCo Times can do to show objectivity. Hmmm, where was that report/blog on Nancy Pelosi’s ridiculous fear of violence like she saw in the 70s? I didn’t even know this event was happening until now and I work in Walnut Creek. Geez, I hope I can get home without trouble should those TEA Party people get rowdy like those protesting the G-12. C’mon CoCo Times don’t you have another posting from Assemblyperson Skinner to post on how happy she is that no wildlife or pets were injured in the Bay Bridge accident?

Ralph Hoffmann, Guest Columnist

Lisa, I covered this “Conservatives Answer To Woodstock” for you, as I assume you had something better to do. Dressed in my Red, White, and Blue, I saw a number of known GOP, including Tom DelBecarro, and David Harmer supporters. There were also a number of prominent Democrats checking things out. I got my picture taken several times as my R,W & B Tie stood out. WC police were present in uniform & plain clothes, but of course no problems. The GOP doesn’t seem to get the message about Iraq & Afghanistan.

Tom K

Thanks to Elwood for his eloquent summary and conclusion of our “debate.” Our side rests its case

Elwood

Re: #13

Yo, Thersa!

What attracted you here?

Why don’t you give us the benefit of your deep thinking on some issue which is near and dear to you?

Elwood

You have a case?

I hope it’s not the penicillin resistant kind!

ken88

I was there last night with 5,000 others, where was the media? No cc times , Channel 5 in a bar to see about free food. The Media is liberal and does not care about the will of the people! But we will overcome!

Lisa Vorderbrueggen

Ken88,

Five thousand people? C’mon. We had a photographer at the event. I just looked at the photos. The photographer estimates that no more than 300 people were at Civic Park.

The editor tells me a photo of the Tea Party stop will run in the paper but not until Friday’s paper. The event took place after our local section deadline yesterday and other news such as the introduction of a $9.4 billion water bond legislation, the closure of the Bay Bridge and the rape of a teenaged girl in Richmond took precedent in the Morning Report.

Tom K

Lisa:

You’re wasting your breath and energy. The far right simply makes stuff up. They have no sense of decency or honor. As a good mutual friend of ours often says, “the left wants to be correct, the right wants to win”.

Weapons of mass destruction, mushroom clouds, John “the coward” Kerry being swiftboated, death panels, etc. They have no standards and no class.

Lisa Vorderbrueggen

Tom K.

I know, I know.

This notion that every newsroom decision is made through a political lens is like the proverbial burr under my saddle.

And to exacerbate the rub, all attempts to explain the realities of daily news decisions is automatically discounted as more evidence of liberal bias.